23andMe genetic testing kit on sale for $99

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Have you ever wondered what information is hiding in your genes? Until recently it was unlikely you’d ever have the opportunity to find out, but now there are a few companies that will scan through your DNA for various traits as long as you’ve got a few hundred dollars to blow. Now one of these businesses, 23andMe, has dropped the price of its genetic testing kit to just $99 from the original $299 price.

That $99 gets you one “DNA Spit Kit” which should tell you almost everything you need to know about the process. The kit will arrive, and you just have to enter its unique ID number on the 23andMe website so you can create an account. Then, you start spitting. Well, into the provided collector. A few millileters of saliva is all it takes. Next, you send the sample off to 23andMe, and play the waiting game.

In about 2-3 weeks your account will be updated with your personal genetic profile. It’s important to realize that you’re not getting a full genetic sequence. This isn’t the kind of data you can take in to the doctor and receive real medical advice. 23andMe is offering more of a survey of notable alleles, or gene forms. Although, the company is using industry standard genetic testing techniques.

23andMe will offer you information about disease risk, likely ancestry, and disease carrier status. Some of this is not dissimilar to what a professional genetic counselor would tell you, but 23andMe costs quite a lot less. The health information is broken down by section, so you don’t have to look at the scary disease risk section if you don’t want to. It’s an understandable system — maybe you just don’t want to know. The sale is probably only good through the holidays, so make your decision.